Telecommunication and data switching systems are used to route tens of thousands of calls and data connections per second. The failure of such a system, due to either an equipment breakdown or a loss of power, is generally unacceptable since it would result in a loss of millions of voice and data communications along with its corresponding revenue. The traditionally high reliability of telecommunication systems, that users have come to expect, is partially based on the use of redundant equipment including power supplies.
DC Power plants are used in the telecommunications industry to provide large amounts of DC power to critical loads and insure un-interrupted operation through the use of batteries or other energy storage media. DC Power plants typically include rectifiers that receive and rectify AC power to produce DC power for powering external equipment (i.e., loads) during normal operation. When an AC source is unable to provide power for the rectifiers to produce DC power for the loads, DC power plants can utilize the batteries as back-up to provide DC power for the equipment.